Why the 'Star Wars' Prequels Are Better Than the Original Trilogy

[DragonAgeOrgins]

Great article. Basically sums up why I've always felt the prequels where much better then the originals, minus all the references to America.

 

I concur

[ZephyJackal]

A more convoluted plot isn't a better plot.

 

It's a giant pile of gimmicks that cheapen what made the OT great.

 

The entirely CGI sets are sterile and lack the lifelike feel of the OT.

 

The acting is wooden and the dialog ridiculous.

 

The romance is perhaps the worst movie romance I've had the displeasure of being subjected to.

 

There's more to a good movie than special effects and choreography.

[KitRoakr]

Personally, I would like to point out a few things.

 

First, the OP did NOT write the article. As a matter of fact he said so twice in this thread (although you could have put that in the original posting, OP). The OP copied and pasted the article from the link that he also put into it. Just thought I'd point that out.

 

As for the article itself... I really disliked it. One of the things I learned in college was that writers that have to use overly complicated and overly flowery words generally lack in imagination, understanding of the subject, or creative writing skills. This is the feel I get from this. Though it is technically sound and grammatically advanced, it has weak arguments and lacks in support.

 

It also fails to follow the rules of making a scholarly argument. There is no acknowledgement given to the other side of the argument. Nor are there any references to supporting evidence (no citations). Neither does he write appropriately for his intended audience (Star Wars Fans).

 

As someone with a master's degree level vocabulary, even I had to look up some of the words used to get the meaning of some of the author's points. And that eliminates 90%+ of potential audience. The author is using fancy wording as a camouflage. He can take a relatively uninspiring piece and make it sound more intelligent than it really is with high-society vocabulary.

 

In the words of the immortal Admiral Ackbar, "IT'S A TRAP!"

[kutulhu]

As someone with a Bachelor's degree in History, I didn't have to look up any of the words.

[Hoeya]

It had the potential to be a great cinematic event. Unfortunately, the screwed the pooch with a cast of some rather poor actors, a convoluted plot, and relying on CGI to tell the story rather than actually telling the story. Sure, the visuals were amazing, but if you want to cringe every time the main character opens his mouth, somethings wrong.

 

And that jackhole Jar-Jar and the entire Gungan race. I was rooting for the droids.

[NORSTAR]

Its asinine to compare the quality of movies today to the quality of movies 30 years ago.

[TheAlmightyPoe]

The prequels were horrible movies. Ok, not episode III, that had a plot.

 

The problem is, George Lucas is an idea man. He can come up with the most outstanding visuals, the most dramatic scenes, and awesome looking characters. However, he can't make a movie flow so that we would actually care about those things (at least not by himself).

 

 

The prequels had flow problems. The first movie jumped from one scene to the next, not really explaining any backstory, trying to get us to "come along for the ride". The plot was basically that the trade federation was making itself a known threat to the galaxy under sidious' orders. While Sidious would manipulate things to his favour through the senate. Oh and the jedi found anakin.

 

The second film, i really can't remember. There was an arena...jango fett......yoda dancing with a glow stick near the end.... it's a bit hazy. But for the life of me i can't remember the plot. Oh that's right, they found a cloning facility and decided on creating an army of clones rather than making another army of robots to take on the already large army of robots.

 

During the movies there really wasn't any character growth. We, as an audience, are supposed to believe that all the growth happened off screen, and the movies are just a series of event that happen in-between all the awesome stuff. Obi-wan and anakin growing together as a team? The importance of Qui gon gin? The growth of anakin into a jedi ( i think we watched him hit puberty instead).

 

Im not going to hate on the acting. Because the material was so bad that only one character really stood out. That's palpatine. Which im fine with, honestly, these movies were about him anyway.

 

No characters felt important. well Jar-jar did. I hate to say it, but he had growth throughout the first movie. We saw who he was, where he came from, and the actions he took in order to prove himself to his community and to himself. That's why im a little upset. He's one of the few characters that actually had development.

 

Anywho, the movies feel like concept art for a story that could be told a whole lot better. The prequels were a mix of beautiful landscapes and awesome battle sequences, with no glue to hold them together. The OT had decent everything, but made the world seem real through special effects, characters, and dialogue. Its not about every little thing that the prequels have over the OT or vice versa, its about how well all those little things mesh together and create a better story.

 

Goodnight.

Edited February 18, 2012 by TheAlmightyPoe

[Wookieluva]

although i applaud your efforts to do it without seeming totally Bald-Faced about it this whole article is just someones way of interjecting politics into a community which traditionally Shuns those who try to bring political views into our Fantasy world, it is well written, well thought out ( tho i dont agree with any of the paralells youve drawn) its interesting..... tho laughable

[Wookieluva]

If you haven't read the entire thing ..your not qualified to comment ...let's like me eating a taste of new ice cream shake and saying "disgusting", how do you know it's awful. Also reported for rude post.

 

I usually know if something is disgusting with the first taste dragon..... if you sample something and it makes you pucker your mouth and reach for a napkin do you go and eat the rest of it "just to be sure"?????

 

tho i read the whole thing because i wanted to make my comments.... and that poster was kinda rude he could have made his point with less hostility...

[Zeppelin]

I see no problem in enjoying films or games, but I see a problem when people like the hardcore plinkett fanbase take time out of their day to bash a trilogy, just because they don't realise the OT was only the holy grail of cinema because they saw it as a child, now they have grown up, they have some diehard expectations and were obviously expecting some impossibly good prequels.

 

While the OT wasn't perfect, what it did have over the prequels was a good story, likable characters, and actual tension and drama. The prequels failed with this in every aspect.

 

So really who are the bigger sheep? The people who like a clearly (even from a technical movie perspective) poor film just because it's Star Wars. Or the people who just happen to agree with a review who is only saying the same things people already thought. People don't hate the prequels because of RLM, they hate them because they're terrible films.

Edited February 16, 2012 by Zeppelin

[FixerFortyKay]

There is no better or worse, Everything is opinion.

 

Strongly disagree with this line of reasoning whenever it crops up.

 

Just because someone has an opinion on something, doesn't mean he's not completely wrong. Just look at people's massively varying opinions on the motivations and characters of the world's political leaders in your local flame filled angry forum. They can't all be right

 

There is better. There is worse.

This is why Citizen Kane is generally accepted to be a better movie than Tommy Wiseau's The Room featuring Tommy Wiseau.

 

This is also why I wont be able to make a Hollywood blockbuster by filming a tomato in my kitchen for two hours. The resulting footage would not be exciting.

 

True everyone is entitled to their opinion and individuals may like the the PT more but this does not make them better movies and we are not comparing chalk and cheese here. These are 6 movies in the same series which can be easily compared in terms of storytelling, acting and dialogue.

 

I like Commando. It's corny goodness and every 80s action cliche taken up to eleven. Still not going to defend it's merits as a film. I even liked playing Microcosm on the CD32, still a terrible game.

 

So like the Prequel trilogy if you must. Enjoy them more than the Original Trilogy, but just accept that if you have the opinion they're better films by all discernible metrics you are wrong.

[Soazak]

Its asinine to compare the quality of movies today to the quality of movies 30 years ago.

 

Sensible post

 

Personally, I like both, but for different reasons. The child in me likes the new trilogy because of the CGI lightsaber fights, but as far as a film goes, I think TPM is fairly poor, they get progressively better, but still not great.

 

I was fairly disappointed that you did not really see Anakin develop much. He just kinda turns up in the second movie proclaiming to be awesome.

 

There doesn't seem to be any real direction in the films, to me they remind me of when a pop star or actor is running out of money so try to do a 'come back' and it just doesn't feel the same.

Edited February 16, 2012 by Soazak

[Boshlord]

Just no... the prequell had jarjarbinks so no...

/thread

[Puctaman]

The only merit the prequels have is that the Pinkett reviews were created because of them.

[RagnarokJC]

The only merit the prequels have is that the Pinkett reviews were created because of them.

Good point- some of the most entertaining film reviews of all times have come from bad flicks.

[Vishongus]

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/why-star-wars-prequels-better-original-trilogy-160300514.html

 

It verges on cinematic treason to suggest that the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy is in any way superior to the original trilogy. However, history has proved that treasonous behavior is just as often necessary to stimulate progressive revolution as it is to endow malevolent forces with unrestricted authority necessary to obstruct basic human rights. So here goes: the first three episodes in the saga of Anakin Skywalker

 

are deeper, better structured, and more politically astute than the final three. Not only is that why the prequel is superior, it is also a pretty decent elucidation of the original trilogy's greater popularity.

 

That the "Star Wars" trilogy embraced by American moviegoers is the one that presents a far less complex universe is not incidental to the rabid rebuke of the prequel. "A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "Return of the Jedi" reflect the Cold War milieu in which they were created, offering up a comforting us-vs.-them story told in bold strokes lacking nuance, complexity, or intellectual ambiguity.

 

That isn't to say that times have changed much; with the exception of "The Phantom Menace," the second and third installments of the prequel were released to an America that had embraced absolute views even more so than the original trilogy.

 

The difference is that the original trilogy appealed directly to the simplistic moral perspective of an America above reproach and always on the side of right in global geopolitics, whereas the much more subversive prequel trilogy stands in defiant counterpoint to the much more dangerously simplistic moral absolutism of the Age of Bush.

 

The original trilogy holds a special place in the bosom of American moviegoers precisely because we view ourselves comfortably in place of the Rebels. Americans revel in their historical construct as rebellious underdogs constantly at war against an easily identified and unquestionably evil empire. Hence, the reason most Americans love the original trilogy has much to do with placement of ourselves in the role of the inheritors of the mantle of the Jedi.

 

The problem is that the post-9/11 world meant Americans also were forced to identify themselves with the Jedi in the prequel trilogy as well, and we don't like the face we see in the mirror. Let's face it, the Jedi don't exactly come off too swell in the prequel. This time around they are the guys in charge, and it is painful to watch them screw it up, especially when the way they hand over the keys to the Empire is so eerily familiar to a historical era defined by words like "signing statements" and "Patriot Act."

 

Just in case you didn't notice in your rush to castigate Jar-Jar Binks and complain about the wooden dialogue of the prequel, the peaceful Galactic Republic in place at the beginning of "The Phantom Menace" doesn't turn into the dark empire in place at the beginning of "A New Hope" due to an invasion by a foreign element. The Republic falls as a result of due democratic process, albeit due democratic process that is manipulated through lies and deception. Again, sound familiar?

 

Watching the "Stars Wars" prequel trilogy is like the most entertaining lesson in civics ever given -- specifically the way it reveals how even a republic peopled by representative leaders with the best of intentions can make decisions that result in disastrous policies, accompanied by devastation and the crumbling of great ideas. Yoda's observations about anger, hate, fear, and suffering are not said lightly; they may be the most prescient words spoken by a movie character in recent memory.

 

Not much less important is another quote associated with "The Phantom Menace," a quote that hasn't proved anywhere near as memorable as Yoda's but nonetheless plays a huge part in the events that will follow. Chances are you don't even remember these words of Darth Maul: "Fear is my ally." One can well imagine that slogan scrawled across the office walls of men like Scooter Libby and tattooed across the back of Dick Cheney.

 

Nowhere in the original "Star Wars" trilogy is there any sequence of events nearly as profound in their application to real life as Palpatine's manipulative orchestration of the separatist movement "headed" by Count Dooku. Palpatine's nefarious scripting of events allows him to go before the senate and ask for special "emergency powers" to deal with the growing threat facing the peace of the republic. Perhaps if Americans had embraced the prequel in the way they did the original "Star Wars" trilogy, they would recognize the danger when an elected member of a representative republic asks for "emergency powers" to combat a threat.

 

Palpatine's actions in the prequel are positively Machiavellian, and his evil in those first three movies is far more chilling than his appearances as the emperor in the original trilogy. In those movies, Palpatine is so far removed from us we can only approach him from the perspective of a Hitler. We must always remember that Hitler didn't ascend to dictator by using tanks, but the ballot box.

 

Just as Palpatine is far more chilling as a politician abusing the system than he is as an emperor in comprehensively malevolent control, so is Anakin Skywalker far more chilling as a powerless pawn than he is as powerful Darth Vader. No more alarming scene exists in the entire "Star Wars" canon than the political conversation that takes place in "Attack of the Clones" between Anakin and Amidala when the boy-who-would-be Vader suggests the system is broken and needs to be replaced with something where one person in charge has the power to enforce laws he feels are for the good of the people. Amidala replies, rightfully, that what Anakin is talking about sounds like a dictatorship. And then these all-too-familiar words from Anakin: "Well, if it works."

 

Anakin's justification that if authoritarian control works in keeping us safe was being repeated on a daily basis by those in charge at the very time the scene was being projected onto multiplex screens around the world. Too many Anakin Skywalkers existed then and, amazingly, exist right now in this country who are far too eager to give up hard-earned civil rights for the illusion of security. And it is the very fact that one can write about Anakin without calling him either evil or good that elevates the prequel above the original. Try naming a single character in the original trilogy that can attain such an authentic level of ambiguity.

 

There is absolutely no element or character in the original trilogy that isn't delineated in stark black and white terms. Episodes IV through VI tell a much happier story, one that is consistent with the birth of the American democracy through acts of rebellion by a ragtag group of people who held the moral high ground. Episodes I through III, by contrast, tell a much less happy story about how a democracy can come to an end -- not at the hands of foreign interlopers, but directly through the democratic process itself. More people may prefer the original "Star Wars" trilogy, but there is no question that the prequel is a more challenging, illuminating, and superior work of art.

 

The prequel trilogy is far more ambitious in terms of its premise. I don't think there are too many people who really argue with you on that point. The problem for many people who've responded thus far seems to be that you're putting far too much emphasis on the complexity of the story that needed to be told.

 

I was fully expecting an epic story when I heard about these movies being made. I was born too late to have the same nostalgia that my brothers would have for the original trilogy, but I did like them as a kid. Then as High School was winding down I would finally get to see what I was hoping to be a cultural phenomenon continue a great legacy. It failed to do that. It had little to do with the overarching plot. It was going to be complex considering how much history would have to be covered in a very short period of time. It's complexity however can not make up for the fact that they were poorly written.

 

The characters were poorly portrayed. The plot set up in Episode 1 didn't seem like it was thought out very well. Hell the decisions of many of the characters didn't make a ton of sense. There were numerous cringe worthy scenes as well as completely unnecessary scenes that did nothing to keep the plot moving.

 

Then we get Episode 2 and we're told to believe Padme and Anakin are in love yet Lucas never took the time to show their characters falling for each other. How the hell do they go from not seeing each other for 10 years to being madly in love. Anakin's affection I can understand. He's been in training for 10 years, Padme is the first attractive girl to really grab his attention and he's conflicted about it. While none of that is ever really expressed, as a result of poor writing, we can get past that I think. Padme's feelings on the other hand make no sense whatsoever. She's got to be roughly decade older than him, and has little to nothing in common with him. How does she actually fall for him? We have no clue because Lucas didn't bother to express that in anyway. So we have a Senator and whiny teenager falling for each other because they have to and that's the only reason there is.

 

I'm actually okay with Episode 3. I don't think it's as bad as the others. This is the only movie where I didn't Anakin. We finally got to see him really fall to the dark side and Lucas did a decent job of showing us how that happened. In fact, this is the only movie in which I think the character changes are actually decent and show them growing in any meaningful way. That does not make up for the poorly written previous movies.

 

I don't care how deep, complex, or sophisticated the story is if it's so poorly written that I have no commitment to the characters or the story itself. Again, I wanted to love these movies, but the truth is that they were poorly written and seemed rushed in terms of basic character and plot development.

[CrymzenSith]

the whole this trilogy is better than that trilogy thing has become nothing but a trend in all honesty.. there are people who have only seen Empire and say that the original is better than the prequal trilogy.

 

to be honest..i prefer the original trilogy because

 

1. i hated 60% of episode 1

2. i hated 100% of episode 2

3. i hated 20% of episode 3

 

and when it comes to the original trilogy the only things i hated apart from bubba fetts pathetic death was the changes lucas decided to make but they realy are not apart of the original trilogy..(using original in every sence of the word)

 

most people these days don't seem to follow the logic of "i personaly did not like the movies in this trilogy as much as i did in the original"..its become "its the standard to hate on the prequals and love the hell out of the original trilogy regardless of my actual feelings on the prequals"

 

the reason people do this is because if anyone ever came out and said "i loved the prequals so much more than i loved the original trilogy, i think its better" people will stand up and flame the guy to hell saying he isnt a real star wars fan

[Pantheros]

If you haven't read the entire thing ..your not qualified to comment ...let's like me eating a taste of new ice cream shake and saying "disgusting", how do you know it's awful. Also reported for rude post.

 

So you're saying an ice cream shake is going to change its flavor the more of it you eat? See this is evidence enough that you're not very good at this whole analogy thing.

 

Also I have no new infractions so the mods must agree with me.

[DragonAgeOrgins]

So you're saying an ice cream shake is going to change its flavor the more of it you eat? See this is evidence enough that you're not very good at this whole analogy thing.

 

Also I have no new infractions so the mods must agree with me.

 

Before I leave with no game time this month because I'm taking a break. I just want to say how incorrect you are. That entire article is written out in detail in words, you would have to look up online to know it's meaning. You given pretty much no evidence of anything other then your biased one sided, small minded view of the world.

 

 

How I would love to be able to be as slow as you but I cannot. Given no critical points. I'm not going to defend the article to someone who stopped reading after the first few seconds and is too slow to know that if he doesn't read the rest of it, he won't know if it's good or not. If you don't like it, then shut the hell up and let people who HAVE READ IT, actually comment

 

Also you assume everyone agree's because they haven't infracted you. You suck at logic.

Edited February 20, 2012 by DragonAgeOrgins

[Noelie]

Whether the OT films are poor or overrated have nothing to do with the quality of the PT films. It's funny how often the defenders of the PT films bring up the OT films. They could be the worst films ever made, and it wouldn't change the fact that the PT films are tentpole spectacles with no substance.

 

Back up? Points where there is nothing? Because all you have is your opinion, which is the same ole' same ole' group think opinion. Please do better.

[Michaelo_Denwar]

Gotta be honest. I didn't read the OP. I'm sure he made some valid points that make episode 1-3 sound, feel, and look better than the original 3. How ever, if you want to see a very good review on the first 3, (and its not just bashing them, although it does do that) go to redlettermedia.com and look at the reviews for episode 1-3. The guy who does it makes some amazingly valid points as to why the movies are just plain awful. For instance, who was the main character of episode 1? Qui-gon? Anakin? Obi-wan? Padme? You could say it was anakin, but he didn't enter the movie until half way through it. So, if anyone who think the original 3 were better than the first and want to see a very well thought out review go check them out.

 

P.S.

The reviews aren't for underage they fall into the more R rated review. Just FYI.

[IroquoisPliskin]

lol...Its like the person writing this forgets how clumsily all that he is writing about is realized.

 

X-Men 3 is about homosexuality, its more relevant in those terms than any other X-Men movie. Too bad is still blows.

 

I thought X men was about the civil rights movement?

[Michaelo_Denwar]

Alright. Now that I've read it I can see why you view the movies as better from a perspective of how it fits into our world today. I can respect your view point. How ever, if you only consider the political world view with which the movie portrays you are turning a blind eye to all the problems the PT had with just the way the movies came off. The OT were about mans dark side and were a special effects icon for many years. The PT had some good special effects, but the characters are just plain flat and lifeless compared to the OT characters. No where in the PT movies is there a single character that comes even close to being as engaging, deep, fun, or likeable as Han Solo. And all things considered George wasn't looking to make a movie for adults. He made the movie for kids and teens. (at least episode 1, since episode 2 gets kind of dark)

 

The best example I can use is the lightsaber duals. In Return of the Jedi at the very end, the dual between look and Vader is so, visceral and is just about the characters. Where as in Episode 1 the duals are choreographed to oblivion, to the point where there isn't a single moment passion. Even when Qui-gon dies and Obi-wan is upset, as soon as he can get at Maul its back to the choreography.

 

My best suggestion would be to watch those reviews, the points he brings up and explores are just so spot on i can't do them justice.

[Forsbacka]

Jarjar Binks for president!

[Setsugetsuka]

I never really understood what the motivation behind all the competition between the two trilogies, like what has been said previously, all six movies are apart of a big collective series, called STAR WARS.

 

I don't remember watching the OT movies for the first time, I remember though spinning around the loungroom with an X-Wing in my hand during the Battle of Yavin though, much to my Dad's dog's dislike.

 

I recently purchased the Blu-Ray complete set, and watched 1 through 6, personally, it became really difficult to watch 4, 5 and 6 due to the technological differences between the two, it's hard downgrading in quality visually when it comes to something that in essence was a sequel, but in certain aspects it matches the whole feel of the Rebellion.

 

Another thing that made it hard to stomach 4-6, was the fact that 1-3 were more complex, in essence it's just good vs bad, which personally I find to be very distasteful. In the prequel trilogy, it's not so simple, it's like looking out to the ocean, OT is the surface, and PT attempted to go deeper.

 

In my own opinion, I loved the PT over the OT, I'm a potentially pessimistic person by nature, so I enjoyed the more negative tones than the poorly generic "Herioc Ventures" made by a rag tag group of random people.

 

However, I understand a few things that people are complaining about, things like Jar Jar Binks(in some instances, not all, too much sometimes can be a bad thing.) Also the lack of a home ship like the Falcon, but understand this, the PT wasn't made to match the OT, it wasn't made to be like the OT, they're separate movies, the PT was made to show the fall of Anakin, it wasn't made to be like OT's lost twin brother.

 

Another nit-pick of mine is how people are complaining about the love between Anakin and Padme, saying that it's poorly done, I've watched the second movie, and the portrayal of their bond seems very much like majority of relationships I see among teenagers these days. In ROTS, I personally can feel their relationship getting much more serious, evidently in the fact that they're having a child, and that he's willing to leave the Jedi Order to have a normal life with her, remember in TPM how he said he wanted to be a Jedi and go to every planet?

 

That's another thing, Anakin was "whiny" because he grew up being attached to things, and the loss that follows can really hurt. I've lost my mother in a similar instance, and I have to say, I'd do exactly what Anakin did, slaughter the lot of them, and then subconsciously force part of my guilt for not being able to save her onto someone else and also bear with it myself, evident by how he says Obi-Wan is holding him back, and that he should be stronger. Remember how in TPM he claimed he was going to come back and free the slaves? Well guess what, he failed, he lost the one person who was there with him from the beginning, and he couldn't do anything about it.

 

His ambition to become stronger to prevent losing those he cared about is truly represented through out the movie, by what he says and is actions, he is also constantly trying to prove himself to people, namely the Jedi Masters, in particular; Obi Wan. Also one could say he's trying to prove things to himself.

 

Also, I don't really feel that Anakin was someone who was evil, he did what he thought was right, and in those few instances where he did things he knew weren't right, they probably haunted him, it tore him inside.

 

The main character for TPM was Qui-Gon Jinn, he was portrayed in that movie to show that not all Jedi had the mentality for no emotions, and that Anakin truly could have been the greatest Jedi if not for the other people involved in his life.

 

Another nitpick, I don't really see how what Anakin does at the end of TPM to be far-fetched, if that boy can handle a pod-racer then I'm sure he can handle a space flight, not to mention he did have support from R2. In my own opinion, I find it easier to believe a small fighter flying into a large hanger bay and destroying it from the inside instead of flying through a space trench and firing a torpedo into a hole, sounds immensely more like a metaphor for sexual intercourse than an actual space conflict.

 

Me and my girlfriend talked a lot about the movies when I watched all six a few weeks ago, and we pretty much came to the conclusion that it was because Anakin tried so hard to achieve things that he was in a way setting himself up to fail, because he was setting all these standards for himself which he couldn't meet. In the end, even though he wanted to save Padme, it was he in the end who caused her to let go of life.

 

I've probably missed a few other things, I've had a lot of this stuff floating around in my head as I've lurked these boards for the past few months, finally felt like posting, so yeah, my 2 cents.

 

Also, how anyone can watch the OT and say it's better is really pulling themselves, I can't keep a straight face anymore when I see this;

http://starwarsdotcom.com/star_wars/gallery/characters/pics/luke/esb_luke72.jpg

Edited February 20, 2012 by Setsugetsuka